Follow Him (part 1) (412 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by stardamage (View user info) at 2005-11-14 13:24:28 EST
(Follow him.)
The words came from the alleyway that he was passing on the right and Michael jerked his head up, startled, looking around at the sound of the female voice.
"Which?"
(The man in the navy blue wool coat. Follow him.)
Michael did this without hesitation. The voice never spoke unless it was for a good purpose, even if he didn't understand the meaning of the commands at the time. And they were always commands.
The man in the blue wool overcoat was walking at a fast pace as though going somewhere, though it could have been the chill from the November wind. Michael felt his adrenaline start to kick in as he followed as stealthily as he could. He figured he didn't look too shady, dressed like an young office worker out for lunch, which he was - but it never hurt to be just a face in the crowd, in case the voice told him to do something else that required stealth.
"What am I doing?" he asked as quietly as he could, slipping his iPod headphones into his ears but leaving the iPod turned off in his coat pocket so he could hear everything that happened around him.
No answer from the voice. Michael pulled his grey scarf up around his mouth and continued on.
The man in the overcoat was stopping at a crosswalk, waiting. Michael dared to stand next to him and wait also, bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He saw the man look at him out of the corner of his eye but didn't return the glance, choosing instead to look up the street at the traffic that wound its way by them.
The walk signal lit up and they started across the street. The man in the overcoat was a few steps ahead of Michael and he took the opportunity to study him and figure out why the voice wanted him to follow this man, why this man in particular and why today?
The man was tall, taller than Michael, and looked like he had some bulk to him under all those layers, which would be a problem if the voice wanted him to attack this man. Dressed well, good quality coat, leather gloves, nice khakis, good Italian leather shoes. Blond hair, the start of a well-trimmed beard. A cranberry wool scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck and Michael took note of which way it was wrapped. The ends were loose and hanging around his chest - a good gust of wind could carry one over his shoulder within reaching distance.
(There could be anything in those coat pockets,) he thought, (but we'll see if I need to worry about that. Hopefully not, because I don't feel like a fight today and I don't want to look suspicious after I get back from lunch.)
Michael hung back a little after they reached the opposite street, fiddling with his iPod as an excuse. He dug it out of his pocket and messed with the controls for a minute, glancing up to make sure the man hadn't turned off the street, and then shoved it back into his pocket and continued.
The wind was really picking up now and the sky overhead was steel grey. There weren't too many people on the street, it was too cold.
A little bit of drizzle started and Michael took a hat out of his pocket and jammed it on his head. It would cover his hair as well as keeping him warm. Now only his eyes and ears were exposed to the wind and air. "Now what?" he dared to whisper to the voice.
To his surprise, it answered.
(He will go into the bakery on the corner. Wait for him to come out.)
Michael squinted to see where the man was and sure enough, he had stopped outside a green door. He was smiling and holding the door for a woman who was walking out and they exchanged a few words. She laughed and walked down the street past Michael, who pretended to be wiping his glasses as an excuse not to meet her eyes.
He came carefully up to the bakery and his mouth watered at the smell coming out. He still hadn't had lunch yet. Maybe he could go in and get something and follow the guy out. His hand hadn't even moved towards the doorknob before he realized how stupid that was. The man's suspicions would be raised if he saw the kid from the crosswalk in the same bakery.
"What do I do when he comes out?" Michael whispered, looking around for a doorway to duck into to get out of the rain and out of sight.
There was no answer and Michael checked his watch. He had fifteen minutes left on his lunch hour - he hoped this wouldn't take long. He needed five minutes to walk back to work. He ducked into the nearest doorway that let him peek around the corner at the bakery entrance, and waited. Seconds later the man exited the bakery with a bag in his hand.
I bet it's a bagel, Michael thought enviously. Toasted garlic bagel with cream cheese. I bet it's warm, and I bet he's gonna eat it with a cup of coffee in his corner office and nice leather chair while I go without lunch in the cold with work piling up back at the office.
"Now what?" Michael asked a little urgently as he once again followed the man down the street.
(Patience. Follow him.)
The voice was a little sharp and Michael fell silent. The voice had never failed him before, he reasoned, and he wasn't quite sure what it was capable of. Best to do what it asked. He'd missed lunch before, no big deal.
The man rounded a corner up ahead and Michael quickened his pace a little to catch up - it wouldn't do to round the corner after him and find him gone down a sidestreet or something.
Sure enough, Michael's hurry paid off. He saw the man disappearing down an alleyway and darted after him.
The drizzle on his glasses suddenly fogged up out of the wind and Michael cursed a little under his breath and pulled them off, wiping them hurriedly. This did nothing to help and it took a moment for him to adjust, squinting into the alleyway.
(Go in.)
Michael hesitated.
(Go. You will be safe. There isn't much time. Do as I tell you.)
Michael did.
He heard rustling behind a dumpster. Michael swallowed hard and rounded the corner.
User Reviews
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-11-15 07:07:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked the mystery element you've got going on here. Very intriguing, says I. I don't have anything bad to say about this, but since you're looking for criticism, here is is: I found it a little strange the way the man was interacting with the voice. For example, when you say he 'dared to ask the voice' something, it implies that he's afraid of the voice, or that the voice is dangerous -- but on the other hand, you imply that the voice has only ever done good things for Michael. So it's a bit incongruous.
Is incongruous a word?
Anyway, good stuff.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-11-15 07:03:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
It was the most I ever threw up, and it changed my life forever.
-- Homer Simpson
Homer Goes To College
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2005-11-14 21:15:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
rock it like a masochist.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-11-14 15:31:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by ohlookasquirrel (user info) at 2005-11-14 15:24:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Too much damn mystery.
Submitted by MandaPanda (user info) at 2005-11-14 14:53:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Intriguing.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-11-14 14:22:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Not bad.
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2005-11-14 14:19:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2005-11-14 14:16:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
this warrants further reading...
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-11-14 14:01:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Oooooooooh.
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2005-11-14 13:43:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I want to see where this goes.
Submitted by stardamage (user info) at 2005-11-14 13:24:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Finally this posted!